Marine Geochemistry 1

Reference:
Schulz and Zabel Marine Geochemistry Springer, New York 2000 453 pp. ISBN 3-540-66-453-X

The Organic Carbon Cycle

Divided into two parts :
1. Biological cycle

2. Geological cycle

Biological cycle
Photosynthesis in surface waters of
oceans or lakes

organic matter from carbon dioxide organic matter from bicarbonate

Ends with metabolic or chemical oxidation of decayed biomass to carbon dioxide

Geological cycle
Incorporation of biogenic organic matter into sediments and soils
Leads to the formation of natural gas, petroleum and coal or metamorphic forms of carbon

Organic matter accumulation in sediments

In the fossil record:

Dark colored sediments

periods of time favorable to organic matter accumulation

White or red colored sediments or rocks

devoid of organic matter

Causes leading to deposition of massive organic-matter rocks

Good Preservation

Sluggish circulation in the deep ocean Shallow epicontinental seas accompained by water column stratification

Good Productivity

High primary productivity in a dynamic system

Primary Production
Photosynthetic plankton

produce 20 to 30 billions tons/year of carbon fixation is not evenly distributed on the oceans but display zones of:

Higher activity on continental margins Lower activity within the central ocean gyres

Export to the Ocean Bottom

Of the total biomass formed only a very small portion reaches the underlying sea floor and is ultimately buried a sediment
Most of the organic matter enters the biological food web and it is respired or used for new biomass production

Sedimentation Rate vs. Organic Matter Burial

Oxic open-ocean conditions:

2X increase in organic carbon content for every 10X increase in sedimentation rate in
marine sediments

Anoxic conditions:

no change in organic carbon content over a wide range of sedimentation rates

Organic Carbon Content of Marine Sediments

Mean organic carbon content :

0.3% with a median value of 0.1%

(data from deep sea drilling)

Varies over several hundreds of magnitude

Organic Carbon Content of Marine Sediments

Depends on:

extend of supply of organic matter

preservation conditions
dilution by mineral matter

Chemical Composition of Biomass

Chemical nature of biomass is commonly described by its elemental composition

Marine phytoplankton

Redfield et al. (1963) ratio

C:N:P = 106:16:1
Ratio changes drastically :

food chain processes early digenetic processes

Chemical Composition of Biomass

Chemical composition can also be confined to a limited number of compound classes Their proportions will vary in the different groups of organisms (Romankevitch, 1984)

Principle of Selective Preservation

Organic compounds and compound classes:
differ in their potential to be preserved in sediments differ in their potential survive early diagenesis

Principle of Selective Preservation

Low Preservation Potential

= easily hydrolyzed

Water-soluble organic compounds Organic macromolecules

= low solubility in water

High Preservation Potential

Lipids Hydrolysis resistant molecules

Biological Markers
Molecules with high degree of structural complexity provide the possibility of relating a certain product to a specific precursor EXAMPLE:

24-methylenecholesterol and dinoserol are preferentially biosynthesized by diatoms and dinoflagellates (Volkman et al., 1998)

Marine vs. Terrigenous Organic Matter

Variations in marine and terrigenous organic matter proportions important for:

paleoclimatic studies paleoceanographic studies

Parameters used to assess the organic matter sources

Carbon / Nitrogen Ratio

10 in marine / 20 in terrigenous

Hydrogen Indices (mg HC/g TOC)

150 in marine / 300-800 in terrigenous

Stable Carbon Isotope Rations

d13C = -27o/oo in marine / - 7o/oo in terrigenous

Molecular Paleo-Seawater Temperature and Climate Indicators

Biosynthesis of Long-Chain Alkenones in the microalgae Class Haptophyceae depends on the water temperature during growth

Coccolithoophorids belong to this class !